Toilet-brush.



G. L. STREET, Jn.

TOILET BRUSH.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 18, 1908.

'Patented' Oct. 11, 1910.

nu: Naams PETERS co., wAsmNcroN. o. c.

i STA- PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE L. STREET, JR., OF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA.

TOILET-BRUSH.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE L. STREET, Jr., of Richmond, in the county ofHenrico, State of Virginia, have invented a certain new and usefulImprovement in Toilet- Brushes; and I do hereby declare the following tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, andto the figures and letters of reference marked thereon.

The present. invention relates to brushes for toilet purposes and whilethe principle is applicable to various brushes especially for use inconnection with a soap detergent or abrasive substance, the invention ismore especially applicable to shaving and tooth brushes.

One of the objects of the invention is to eliminate the use of a shavingcup, and cake or stick or of any detergent and holder therefor, such asis liable by repeated use to accumulate and harbor impurities anddisease producing' germs to which ends the invention consists insubstituting a brush which in itself presents hygienic properties inthat it is capable of being opened for effectual cleaning of the base ofthe bristles and iu combining` therewith an attenuated, pliant body ofsoap or detergent of proper size for a single use and which soap ordetergent will lie .within or between the bristles and partake of theirmovement when the brush is in use in such manner that the detergent willwork forward on the bristles into position to be effectively latheredand distributed over the surface to which the brush is applied.

Another object of the invention is to provide a flexible or pliantdetergent wafer and a brush adapted to receive and hold the salne inposition to project parallel with and in proximity to the bristles andto provide means whereby the detergent may be readily placed in positionand the unused portion removed.

Another object of the invention is to provide a thin or pliant detergentwafer from which the detergent will be discharged by the action of thebristles in the normal use of the brush, which wafer shall beinexpensive to produce, capable of being packaged compactly andpreserved in a sanitary wholesome condition in accordance with modernhygienic practice.

The invention consists further in certain Specification of LettersPatent.

Application filed August 18, 1908.

Patented Oct. 11, 1910.

Serial No. 449,148.

novel details of construction and combinations and arrangements, all aswill be now described and pointed out particularly in the appendedclaims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings illustrative of theinvention-Figure l is an elevation of a preferred form of shaving brushembodying the improvements. Fig. 2 is a similar view with the dividedbrush head opened for cleaning, or the removal or insertion of a pliantdetergent or soap wafer. Fig. 3 is an elevation with the brush head openthe point of view being at the left of Fig. 2 and the cap of the brushhandle being removed to disclose the Wafer storage receptacle. F ig. 4Cis a flexible or pliant detergent or soap wafer adapted for use in theshaving brush shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 5. Fig. 5 is an elevation of ashaving brush in which both the head and handle are divided and thestorage receptacle for wafers omitted.

In said drawings the letter A indicates the handle of the shaving brushand B, B', the two halves of the divided brush head in which thebristles C are permanently secured by any usual or preferred means. 'Inthe preferred construction the bristles are about equally divided onehalf being secured in each section of the brush head and so arrangedthat when the sections are brought together as indicated in Fig. l thebrush presents the appearance of an ordinary brush and the bristles aresubstantially uniformly disposed throughout the whole face of the head.

In accordance with the present invention the two sections, B, B', of thebrush head have their proximate faces formed to clamp or otherwise holdbetween them one end of a pliant detergent or soap wafer D, the body ofthe wafer projecting parallel with and between the bristles, preferablyabout in a median plane where the bristles will work over the surface ofthe wafer and effect the discharge of the detergent or soap particles inthe ordinary working of the brush over the surface to which it isapplied.

The detergent or soap wafers may be conveniently composed of a carrieror base of flexible or pliant material such as paraflined paper orsimilar material indicated at c, which will withstand the disintegratingeffect of hot or other water for a short period, and having its body orforward portion coated with the detergent or soap. The

coating may be effected by dipping or otherwise as may be found mostconvenient or economical and it is designed that the wafers shall beinclosed in sealed envelops for protecting them from contamination,preventing them from sticking together and preserving them in a freshand proper condition for immediate use in accordance with modernhygienic practice.

While the end of the wafer may be held in the brush head in any of manysuitable ways which will at once suggest themselves, it is preferred toclamp the end between the proximate faces of the sections of the brushhead and for convenience the meeting faces have seats o for the ends ofthe wafers and spuds or pins 1) for impaling the same whereby the wafersmay be caused to project more or less in accordance with the preferenceof the user.

Conveniently the handle A, Figs. l, 2 and 3, may be hollow and have acap A to form a storage receptacle for fresh wafers, but where this isnot desired the whole handle and head may be made sectional as shown inFig. 5.

By making the brush head sectional with a portion of the bristles ineach section the interior of the mass of bristles and face of the headare readily accessible for cleaning.

In use a wafer is secured in place, the brush dipped into water,preferably hot water and applied to the face in the usual manner. Themovement of the bristles causes the soap to work down through thebristles, lather and be distributed over the face. Owing to theflexibility or plia-ncy of the wafer and the fact that it is a thinnonresistant body the bristles are not held apart nor is the userdisagreeably aware of the presence of the wafer. The shaving operationover, it is only necessary to separate the sections of the brush head,discharge the used wafer or so much of it as remains and wash the brush,thus leaving it in clean hygienic condition. Obviously the invention isapplicable to any kind of brush and while I have illustrated a centrallydivided brush head, it is obvious that the head may be divided in anyway suitable to form a securing means for the end of the wafer and henceI do not wish to be limited in the claims, either to the particular kindof brush or the particular manner of dividing the head illustrated.

-Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is:

l. A shaving brush embodying a brushhead, bristles permanently mountedin said head and forming a flexible tuft, and a thin pliant detergentwafer removably secured within the mass of bristles in position to besupported by and form a part of the tuft, and be flexed and bent withthe bristles in the use of the brush.

2. A shaving brush embodying a brushhead, bristles permanently mountedin said head and forming a flexible tuft, a thin pliant detergentcarrier forming a detergent wafer, and means for removably securing theend of the wafer in the brush-head at the base of the tuft with the bodyof said wafer projecting within the mass of bristles in position to besupported by said bristles, whereby the wafer is flexed with thebristles in the use of the brush and constitutes a part of the flexibletuft.

3. A shaving brush embodying a sectional head, tufts of bristles securedpermanently in each section and so disposed as to form when the twosections are brought together a dense and substantially cylindricalbrush tuft with the bristles uniformly disposed throughout, and means onthe proximate faces of said sections for securing one end of a pliantdetergent wafer whereby the body of the wafer may project among thebristles and form a part of the flexible tuft.

GEORGE L. STREET, JR.

vWitnesses:

CHARLES H. ORTT, J. ELMER GoTwALs.

